It has been widely recognized, particularly within the aerospace and automotive industries, that the selective use of fiber reinforced composite materials to replace metals can result in significant performance benefits. These benefits flow from the exceptional combination of high stiffness, high strength and low density that typically characterize fiber reinforced composite materials and from the ability to tailor the properties of a particular composite article to fit the demands of a particular application.
Fiber reinforced glass matrix and fiber reinforced glass ceramic matrix composites have been developed for high temperature applications. These materials exhibit high strength, high modulus, and high fracture toughness at temperatures which exceed 1,000.degree. F.
There is a constant and intensive effort to improve the room temperature physical properties of such materials and to increase the maximum use temperature and the environmental stability of such materials.